Financial Issues

The Budget

Our state in is a financial mess - it has three major problems: taxation, revenue and overspending, all of which have consistently gotten worse since 1999. Over the past 17 years, legislators have made far too many commitments that the state cannot afford to continue funding and have to beg, borrow and steal from taxpayers as well as the pension fund for state employees, and as a result, the state employee pension fund could soon be reaching a $1 trillion shortfall while they still owe over $168 billion in unpaid commitments while the state's annual fiscal deficit also includes to increase. We are also operating without a fiscal budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year with the 2016-17 fiscal year quickly coming upon us. This is fiscal irresponsibility at its worse and we are among the least fiscally responsible state governments in recent years.

Sacrifices need to be made to reach a balance the budget and they're never easy. It is essential to reduce the size of our state government in order to not continue robbing the state's remaining taxpayer base while beginning to exercising fiscal responsibility in order to bring the books back to positive cash flow and begin reversing the fiscal ruin Illinois is currently in.

Reckless actions through previous leadership in both the General Assembly and the executive branch between 1970 and the mid-to-late 1990s has resulted in younger generations footing and paying the bill for the fiscal damage they have done to the state. This hasn't been any less true in this present political environment - our current state legislators are being so fiscally irresponsible that they are unwilling to agree to a balanced budget and would rather tow the party line. It's time for someone to say enough is enough with the fiscal irresponsibility that our present state legislators are exercising and lead the charge to hold the state government accountable for their actions until they agree to a balanced budget.

Taxation

Illinois is losing more taxpayers every minute than those moving into the state, no thanks to the hostile environment bring bred by state legislators toward the self-employed, small businesses, medium-sized businesses, large business enterprises and corporate entities. Not only are our taxpayers leaving Illinois, thousands of jobs are being relocated while businesses are trying to find a more friendly business environment.

As a businessman, I share the same sentiments that we are taxed way too much. We never volunteered to have taxes taken out of our payroll checks when we applied for a job; it was unwillingly stolen from us. We have to involuntarily pay taxes through governmental force or deal with the Internal Revenue Service and the Illinois Department of Revenue knocking down your door demanding their money. It is theft to the highest degree - theft of the benefits reaped stemming from productivity and the services you contribute to your business or employer.

177 state legislators vote for it in Illinois and seven elected judges in the Illinois Supreme Court uphold it. The same goes for the 435 representatives of Congress who vote for it and make sure the nine unelected justices in the U.S. Supreme Court upholds in the same manner. It's still theft and yet, our government says it's perfectly fine and tells you that your taxes will be utilized for the greater good of their constituents. Actions since 1999 by the General Assembly via their reckless taxation and spending practices has result that our tax dollars are being thrown into a massive incinerator.

False promises are made all the time by the political establishment that they will still less from the people if they are elected or re-elected, but never really express it that that. They promise tax cuts for the middle class or they adjust the tax brackets to make it more fair and just, but they break that promise as well.

What Does This Mean?

Measures need to be taken to hold the state government accountable for their reckless spending habits and make the required cuts to reach a balance budget in order to reverse the financial damage Illinois currently is in.

​I will not support bills, budgets or legislation that involves more debt, tax increases or a higher debt ceiling. It's not worth robbing our future generations just because this program and that program needs more funding.